Scottish Executive

Defence

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it plans to make to the Ministry of Defence on the future use of Glencorse Barracks.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues including the future of Glencorse barracks.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the Economic Impact section (paragraph 12.0) of the Report on Foot-and-Mouth Disease by the Director of Lifelong Care at Scottish Borders Council dated 7 November 2001, with particular reference to the financial consequences for the Borders economy of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and the downturn in electronics production there which the report estimates will represent a total loss of £71 million to the local economy, representing 7% of Borders Gross Domestic Product over the next year.

Ms Wendy Alexander: In recognition of the challenges facing the Borders economy, the Scottish Executive has worked closely with local agencies and provided significant funding for the actions identified in their Foot-and-Mouth Recovery Plan. The figures cited in the question are taken directly from the Borders Foot-and-Mouth Recovery Plan, which was presented to the Executive in May of this year. The Executive continues to monitor the impact of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak nationally. The Scottish Executive’s Impact Assessment Group has undertaken three surveys of non-agricultural businesses - in April, June and October. The first two surveys have already been published and the third survey results will be published on 19 December.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will designate the Borders area for priority investment in the light of (a) Signum Circuits, Selkirk, going into receivership with resulting redundancies and (b) the Report on Foot-and-Mouth Disease by the Director of Lifelong Care at Scottish Borders Council dated 7 November 2001.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive is fully aware of the challenges facing the Borders economy, and works closely with local agencies to help create sustainable employment opportunities. In recognition of this, Scottish Enterprise Borders have been awarded an additional £6.096 million for the period 1999-2002 to further support economic development in the area. The Executive has also worked closely with local agencies on planning for recovery from the recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, and has provided significant funding for the actions identified in their Foot-and-Mouth Disease Recovery Plan.

Manufacturing

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how Scotland’s manufacturing performance over the period of the four quarters up to 2001Q2 compares with the (a) north west, (b) north east, (c) Yorkshire, (d) East Midlands and (e) West Midlands regions of England.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Up to date quarterly Scottish manufacturing performance is measured using the Scottish Executive’s Quarterly Scottish Gross Domestic Product estimates. Figures are not produced for the regions of England which allow comparison with Scotland’s manufacturing performance over the period in question.

Ports

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what strategies are in place to develop ferry and shipping services from the port of Rosyth.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to support and enhance the transport and economic infrastructure of the port of Rosyth.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has fully supported the plans to introduce a ferry link between Rosyth and Zeebrugge and the recent successful application for Freight Facilities Grant to fund the project. The Scottish Executive and the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions are also pressing urgently for clearance from the European Commission for an extension of the Freight Facilities Grant scheme to short sea shipping.

  The Rosyth 2000 proposals envisaged the former naval dockyard at Rosyth being developed as a port with particular emphasis being placed on shipping services to continental Europe. The main focus at present is on establishing the Rosyth to Zeebrugge service.

  The UK-wide ports policy paper, Modern Ports: A UK Policy (a copy is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre - Bib. number 9874), provides a clear strategy for ports to provide safe, sustainable and successful operations for the transport network and as contributors to the local and national economy. The Executive also liases closely with the key local and national agencies with an interest in the transport and economic infrastructure of the port of Rosyth.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Scheme

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what the surpluses were for (a) the Scottish Transport Group Staff Pension Fund and (b) the Scottish Transport Group Transport Operatives Pension Fund in (i) 1989-90, (ii) 2001-02 to the most recent date for which such figures are available and what the combined total surplus was for those years.

Lewis Macdonald: The figures requested are provided in the table. The figures for 1999-2000 are the latest available.

  

 

1989-90
(£ million) 
  

1999-2000
(£ million) 
  



STG Transport Operatives Scheme 
  

105.432 
  

95.118 
  



STG Staff Pension Fund 
  

174.153 
  

148.953 
  



Total 
  

279.585 
  

244.071 
  



  The 1989-90 figures represent the position prior to privatisation of the Scottish Bus Group constituent bus companies and Royal Life assuming the pensions liabilities; transfers of individuals to successor schemes and individuals deciding to opt for personal pensions. All of these events took place between 1990 and October 1993 - the date of the Royal Life buy-out - which had the effect of reducing the assets by considerable sums, e.g. the accounts for the year ending March 1994 showed net assets for the Transport Operatives Pension Scheme of £93.823 million and £61.611 million for the Staff Pension Fund, a total of £155.434 million.